The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing an image of a head, corresponding to a body image from another source, so that a resulting composite image has a natural orientation and size.
In the following description, the term xe2x80x9cheadxe2x80x9d is intended to include not only the head of a human being with its hair (however long) face, ears, etc., but also any and all appurtenant accessories such as a hat, glasses, hair adornments, jewelry (earrings, etc.) and the like. The term xe2x80x9cbodyxe2x80x9d as it is used herein, is intended to include the body of a human being, animal, fish, etc., (either real or fictional) including not only the torso, arms, legs, tail, fins, etc., but also any and ail appurtenant clothing, shoes, jewelry, and the like. The xe2x80x9cbodyxe2x80x9d may also be another environment in which an image of a head is appropriate, such as a window, television screen or portal. The image of the head and/or body may be obtained from a xe2x80x9crealxe2x80x9d head or body, respectively, either photographically or by electronic image scanning, or from an artistic or computer generated rendering thereof
It is known to produce pictures of human subjects with the head of one human being superimposed upon the body of another human being, animal, fish, etc. This superposition is normally accomplished xe2x80x9cmechanicallyxe2x80x9d by cutting around the outline of the head of a person shown in a first photograph and applying this head, in the proper position and orientation, to a body in a second photograph. The resulting xe2x80x9cmechanicalxe2x80x9d is thereafter photographed and/or scanned electronically to produce a third photograph or electronic image. Electronic implementation of this process is also known, where the head is electronically traced and superimposed.
This superposition process is time consuming and requires that the head and body in the first and second photographs, respectively, be adjusted in scale photographically; that is, that either the first or second photograph be enlarged or reduced so that the head and body are of the same relative size.
Consequently, this superposition process is only rarely used, and when used it is limited to situations where the cost of the process is small compared to the cost of the overall desired product.
It is also known to scan photographs electronically, which may be used to produce customized portraits on self-adhesive paper labels. It is also known to print a plurality of portrait photographs in a variety of sizes on photographic paper.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for producing an output image including a size-normalized image of a digital image of an object. The object is generally an anatomical portion of a subject, such as a human or animal.
It is also an object according to the present invention to provide a method of producing an electronic image of a human subject, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing an electronic representation of an image of a head of said subject;
(b) providing an image containing a body corresponding to said head;
(c) producing a set of digital representations defining an actual size of said head in said electronic representation;
(d) providing a set of digital representations defining a desired size of said head corresponding to said body;
(e) processing said electronic representation of said image of said head in dependence upon the size information defined by said actual size and said desired size, representing said head scaled to said desired size; and
(f) outputting said processed electronic representation as an image of said head scaled to said desired size.
Advantageously, the method includes the further step of superimposing said outputted electronic representation of said head scaled to said desired size on said body. The image of the head may be, for example, a photograph, electronic still image, video image or a series of photographs. Non-electronic image media may be scanned or otherwise digitized for input. The head may be an artistic rendering, or a synthesized or actual image of a head. Likewise, the image containing the body may be an artistic rendering, or a synthesized or actual image of the body. The head and body images need not be of the same type, and advantageously, a processing step may be performed to modify either the head image, body image, or both, to increase a matching between the two. The images are preferably in natural colors; however, monochrome images, false colors, discrete color space images, cartoon images and the like may also be employed.
According to another object of the invention, the head has a reference vector and said body has a reference vector, wherein the head and body are combined to obtain a predetermined relationship of the reference vectors of said head and said body. These vectors may be a point; origin and magnitude; origin, magnitude and orientation, or include other information, and the vector space for the head need not be identical to the vector space for the body. Therefore, the combining step may include a processing of one image portion to correspond to another image portion. Likewise, the vector space may also include a set of varying or incrementally varying images, wherein the processing includes the step of selecting one of the images or synthesizing a new image from the set of images. For example, the image of the head may include a plurality of head images incrementally varying in rotation about a vertical axis, wherein the vector matching comprises selection of the head image having an appropriate angle for the body image.
In one embodiment, the reference point on the head is on the chin.
According to a still further object of the invention, the method may further include the steps of:
(g) providing a second image containing a second body corresponding to said head;
(h) providing a second set of digital representations defining a second desired size of said head corresponding to said body of said second image;
(i) processing said electronic representation of said image of said head in dependence upon the size information defined by said actual size and said second desired size, representing said head scaled to said second desired size; and
(j) outputting said processed electronic representation as an image of said head scaled to said second desired size.
It is a further object of the present invention to produce a reproduction of the combined image on a recording medium, which may be a printing medium or an electronic storage medium.
In order to facilitate alignment of the head and body, and relax the necessary tolerances for an aesthetically pleasing result, a collar may be provided on the body immediately adjacent to a location of said superimposed head. Alternately, a neck portion may be provided on the head, with a reference point on the neck. A soft pink border may be provided around the head.
According to a still further object of the invention, the images may be associated with audio information, such as spoken words. These words may include, for example, the name of the person whose head is included in the image.
According to another object of the invention, a plurality of desired head sizes are provided, and a plurality of heads are each processed and scaled to a different given size, and then the plurality of scaled heads are output.
It is also an object of the invention to provide aethod of producing a composite electronic image of a subject comprising the steps of:
(a) obtaining first image information relating to a first anatomical portion of a subject and producing a set of first representations of the first image;
(b) producing a set of size representations associated with the first image information defining a size of the first anatomical portion;
(c) providing a normalized size parameter;
(d) converting the set of first representations of the first image into a set of second representations, in dependence upon the normalized size parameter, the set of second representations defining the first anatomical portion scaled to the desired size; and
(e) outputting the second representations as image data.
The method may further comprise the steps of providing a plurality of desired anatomical portion sizes, and converting a plurality of anatomical portions, each of said anatomical portions being scaled to a different given size; and outputting said plurality of scale anatomical portions.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method of providing normalized images, comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving an electronic representation of an image including a head;
(b) extracting the head from the image;
(c) determining a size of the head;
(d) rescaling the head to a plurality of desired sizes; and
(e) outputting the plurality of rescaled heads as printed images on a medium.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method of providing a normalized image, comprising:
(a) receiving an electronic representation of an image;
(b) extracting an object from the image;
(c) determining a size of the object;
(d) rescaling the object to a desired size;
(e) electronically outputting an image of the object onto a plastic sheet having self-adhesion properties substantially without adhesive; and
(f) separating a portion of the plastic sheet having the output image of the object from a remainder of the sheet. The plastic sheet may be die-cut prior to forming the image thereon.
In a preferred embodiment, the output includes a series of portrait images including an image of a head extracted from its native background in a digital image of a subject, scaled to at least two sizes, which are then printed on a recording medium, such as paper, die-cut labels, plastic film, or the like. For example, the printed images may then be separated from the remainder of the recording medium, and then be superimposed upon a printed page having the body of another subject, which may be a person, animal, fish, etc.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for producing an image of the above-noted type which is substantially less time consuming and less costly than the superposition process known heretofore.
These objects, as well as further objects which will become apparent from the discussion that follows, are achieved, in accordance with the present invention, by a method, and by apparatus for carrying out a method, which comprises the steps of:
(a) obtaining first image information relating to a an anatomical portion of a subject and producing a set of first representations of the first image;
(b) producing a set of second representations associated with the first image information defining a size of the anatomical portion of the first image information;
(c) electronically separating the anatomical portion of the first image information from a remainder of the first image information;
(c) optionally processing the anatomical portion image information alter an appearance of the anatomical portion, based on a predetermined criteria;
(d) processing the anatomical portion image information to normalize a size of the anatomical portion according to a predetermined size criteria; and
(e) outputting the size-normalized image of the anatomical portion.
In a preferred embodiment, the image is scaled to a plurality of different sizes. The plurality of images may then be output to a single sheet, for example at predetermined locations.
The sheet is preferably a die-cut sheet of self-adhesive labels, such that the normalized size images are printed within the confines of a die-cut sticker, which may, for example, be placed on a sheet in a pre-printed book or pamphlet by an end-user.
The sheet may also be a xe2x80x9cstickyxe2x80x9d plastic sheet, e.g., polyvinyl chloride, used in such products as the known Colorforms(copyright), which tend to adhere to itself or other surfaces without an adhesive, and can thus be repositioned or removed.
Alternately, the images may be printed directly on a sheet having images of corresponding anatomical portions, so that the printed anatomical portion physiologically joins the preprinted physiological portion. In this case, the printed anatomical portions may be of the same size, although the positioning will generally vary on differing printed sheets.
The optional processing of the anatomical portion may add or alter characteristics based on a morphing, tweening, cartoonization, colorization, recolorization, shading, shadowing, synthetic orientation alteration, or other image processing operation. Various structures may also be appended, grafted or merged onto the anatomical portion, for example to provide various animal features. For example, distinctive ears, nose, hair or the like may be provided in the printed image.
The printed image may also have an associated code indicative of a corresponding image for placement of the body part. This code may be a word, number, color code or other indicia.
In another embodiment, the body part images may be interchangeable for placement with a range of different background images, in the manner of the known xe2x80x9cMad Libsxe2x80x9d, allowing humorous combinations of foreground and background images. In this case, the various anatomical body part images may be of the same size yet differ in other additions or characteristics, as discussed above.
In another embodiment of the invention, the image of the anatomical portion may be merged with a video stream, wherein the location and scaling of the anatomical portion is selected or controlled so that the anatomical portion corresponds to and follows structures in the video stream. In this case, the video stream may be either a predetermined sequence, allowing the desired locations and scalings to be predetermined, or interactive, in which case the merging process in real time receives the location and/or scaling data corresponding to the video stream, and this data is employed to control the superposition process.
In the preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the anatomical portion is a head and the corresponding anatomical portion is a body, preferably derived from different subjects, i.e., the body is not the body of the subject from which the head is derived. However, it is also possible to merge the body and head of the same subject according to the present invention.
The anatomical image information is generally obtained either through an electronic camera or from scanning one or more still pictures. However, no particular type of image source is required. The corresponding anatomical image, as stated above, may be a preprinted page, still image, or video stream. The corresponding anatomical image may also be an electronic representation of a still or moving image, which allows the composite image to be output electronically as a still or animated image.
The system according to the present invention may be employed to generate a customized video game, wherein an image of a head of a person, e.g., the player, is employed as a xe2x80x9cspritexe2x80x9d or translatable icon, within the video output. In accordance with the present invention, the scaling of the image may be controlled, as well as the application of special effects, which may be varied during the course of the video game.
In order to obtain the image of the anatomical portion, a user""s local computer or computerized device may be provided with computer software to extract the anatomical portion, or this functionality provided at a central service bureau. While printed sheets and electronic storage media may be physically transported between a service bureau and the end user, advantageously, this image information is communicated electronically, through a direct dial-up link or through a computer network, such as the Internet.
Typically, the corresponding anatomical portion comprises an animated image or image sequence, a videotape, a series of still scenes, or a computer generated background. The corresponding anatomical portion image preferably has an anatomical adjoining part which allows normal appearing placement of the anatomical part of the first image, or includes a buffer zone which obscures misalignment or other visual artifacts from the merging process.
The positioning information preferably comprises a single point, and the size information preferably comprises a single dimension. The image of the anatomical portion, in such a case, is presumed to have a predetermined orientation. The corresponding anatomical portion image is therefore one in which the desired orientation matches that of the anatomical portion image. However, the positioning information may also include a vector defining one or more additional degrees of freedom, the anatomical portion image information comprising information relating to a three or four dimensional representation of the anatomical portion. Thus, the orientation, positioning, scaling, movement, or other characteristics of the anatomical portion may be controlled for a desired composite image. Generally, the purpose of the composite image formation is to customize a generic background image. Thus, the present invention allows the production of customized books, video tapes, video games, instructional or educational presentations, and the like.
The preparation for producing an output image may be a simple discrete superimposition of the anatomical portion image with the corresponding anatomical portion image information, or a more complex process. In a more complex process, the anatomical portion image may interact with representations of the corresponding anatomical portion image, so that higher order matching may be obtained for a smooth transition. For example, if the anatomical image portion is a head, and the corresponding anatomical image portion is a neck and torso, the base of the head may be xe2x80x9cmorphedxe2x80x9d so that the outline of the superposed image is smooth. Likewise, colors may be altered or gradiented so that the hue and brightness have a smooth transition or match. Other types of higher order transition matching may also be effected.
Where the image is to be printed on a sheet, the characteristics of the corresponding anatomical portion image are generally known, and the printed image is scaled according to the known characteristics of the corresponding anatomical portion image. The scaled images are also positioned so as to be printed within predetermined confines of the sheet, such as within die cut portions.
In one embodiment, a dye sublimation printer is employed to print an image on a plastic sheet, which is then die cut around the images according to a predetermined pattern. The plastic sheet has adherence characteristics which allow it to adhere to, be repositioned and removed from other objects, such as plastic or plastic sheets, glass, smooth metal, or other surfaces. The printing process causes the image to diffuse into the plastic sheet, forming a permanent and durable image. The image may also be formed by ink-jet printing (using an ink which is compatible with the recording medium), thermal transfer printing or laser-type (toner particle) printing.
In the case of video image streams, the resulting image is preferably output to a video recording device and/or displayed on a video monitor.
In a video stream embodiment of the invention, audio information may be included within the process, with a customized portion associated with the anatomical portion image, which is in this case a foreground image, and a stock portion associated with the corresponding anatomical portion image, which is in this case a background image. In this way, the audio portion may be customized with relatively few insertions. A set of audio representations associated with the background image is used to determine the timing and optionally characteristics of information from the foreground image-associated audio information in a resulting soundtrack created by merging both streams of audio information.
The audio information associated with the foreground image may be, e.g., a name, spoken in various intonations, associated with the customized image information. The audio information associated with the background image may be, e.g., a story associated with a sequence of background images (regardless of the foreground image), with the set of audio identifiers relating to the timing and intonation of the name to be inserted in the soundtrack.
For a full understanding of the present invention, reference should now be made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.